Help! I'm a Fish: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 04:04, 7 March 2025

Revision as of 03:49, 16 March 2025

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| distributor = [[Nordisk Film]] <small>(Denmark)</small><br />[[Kinowelt]] <small>(Germany)</small><br>[[HanWay Films]] and PID <small>(Internationally)</small><!--Do not add the UK or US distributors here, please; see WP:FILMRELEASE.-->

| released = {{film date|2000|10|6|Denmark|2001|4|12|Germany|2001|8|24|Ireland|df=y}} <!--Do not add the UK or US release dates here, please; see WP:FILMRELEASE.-->

| runtime = 77 minutes<ref>{{cite web |title=Help! I'm A Fish |url=https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/help-im-a-fish-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0zmtk0mdk |website=[[BBFC]] |access-date=16 March 2025}}</ref>

| runtime = 72 minutes

| country = Denmark<br />Germany<br />Ireland

| language = Danish<br />English

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| gross = $5.6 million<ref name=gross />

}}

'''''Help! I'm a Fish''''' ({{langx|da|'''Hjælp, jeg er en fisk'''}}; also known as '''''A Fish Tale''''') is a 2000 animated [[science fantasy]] [[musical film]] directed by Stefan Fjeldmark, Greg Manwaring, and Michael Hegner, and written by Fjeldmark, [[Karsten Kiilerich]], John Stefan Olsen, and Tracy J. Brown. It stars the voices of [[Alan Rickman]], [[Terry Jones]], and a then-unknown [[Aaron Paul]].<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last=Iversen |first=Ebbe |date=2000-05-14 |title=Dansk succes i Cannes |url=https://www.berlingske.dk/samfund/dansk-succes-i-cannes |access-date=2025-02-01 |website=[[Berlingske]] |language=da |df=dmy-all}}</ref> The film tells the story of three kids–Fly, his little sister Stella, and cousin Chuck—whoChuck–who turn into fish and must return to human form before 48 hours are up; otherwise, they will be stuck as fish forever. They must also contend with a [[pilot fish]] who has taken the antidote for himself, which he has his own plans for.

It was released on 6 October 2000 in [[Denmark]],<ref name=":4" /> 10 August 2001 in the United Kingdom, and 5 September 2006 in the United States. Animation production was split between [[A. Film Production]] in Denmark, [[Munich Animation]] in Germany, and [[Terraglyph Interactive Studios]] in Dublin, Ireland.<ref>{{Cite web |title={{!}} The Irish Film & Television Network |url=http://www.iftn.ie/?act1=record&aid=70&rid=989&tpl=filmography_dets&only=1&force=1 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402100138/http://www.iftn.ie/?act1=record&aid=70&rid=989&tpl=filmography_dets&only=1&force=1 |archive-date=2 April 2015 |access-date= |website=[[Irish Film and Television Network]]}}</ref> The film was a commercial failure and [[box-office bomb|box-office flop]], grossing $5.6 million in Denmark against an approximate $18 million budget and receiving mixed-to-positive reviews from critics and audiences.

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| Shark || [[Dick Kaysø]] || [[David Bateson]]

|-

| Sasha || colspan="2" | [[Louise Fribo]] || Louise Fribo

|-

| General Crab || [[Ulf Pilgaard]] || [[David Bateson]]

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[[HanWay Films]] and PID (Producers International Distribution) handled international sales to the film.<ref>{{cite web |title=Help! I'm a Fish |url=https://www.hanwayfilms.com/help-im-a-fish |website=HanWay Films}}</ref><ref name=":3" />

The film had a theatrical release in the United Kingdom by Metrodome Distribution, released on 10 August 2001.<ref name=":1">{{cite web |last1=Mitchell |first1=Robert |title=Parole Officer checks in at the UK box office |url=https://www.screendaily.com/parole-officer-checks-in-at-the-uk-box-office/406579.article |website=[[Screen International|Screen Daily]] |access-date=13 February 2024}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{cite web |title=Egmont to adapt Help! I'm a Fish for TV |url=https://www.c21media.net/news/egmont-to-adapt-help-im-a-fish-for-tv/ |website=C21Media |access-date=13 February 2024}}</ref> In Ireland, the movie was screened on 27 June 2003 as part of the athletes' evening entertainment programme for the [[Special Olympics World Games]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=23 June 2003 |title='Help I'm A Fish' One of the Titles Screening for Special Olympics |url=http://www.iftn.ie/news/?act1=record&only=1&aid=73&rid=3307&tpl=archnews&force=1 |access-date=2025-03-16 |website=Irish Film & Television Network}}</ref>

In North America, the English dub of the film was released in 2006 by [[Genius Products]]<ref>{{cite web |date=5 September 2006 |title=A Fish Tale DVD |url=https://www.amazon.com/A-Fish-Tale/dp/B000GBEWKM |access-date=18 July 2021 |work=[[Amazon.com]]}}</ref> and in 2007 by [[Alliance Atlantis]].

== Reception ==

===Box office===

''Help! I'm a Fish'', according to distributor Nordisk, was a moderate success in Danish due to the school holiday week when the film's box office increased 240% from the first week to the second. In the second week, it grossed $915,945. In comparison, [[Lars von Trier]]'s [[Dancer in the Dark|''Dancer'' ''in the Dark'']] has grossed $885,020 after six weeks.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Buddrus |first=Petra |date=20 October 2000 |title=Help! I'm A Fish sinks competition in Denmark |url=https://www.screendaily.com/help-im-a-fish-sinks-competition-in-denmark/403958.article |access-date=2025-03-16 |website=Screen Daily |language=en}}</ref> It became the most-watched Danish cinema film of the year, with 335,000 tickets sold during the last 13 weeks of 2000 and 265,000 people going to the cinema in 3 ½ weeks alone.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2001-01-03 |title="Hjælp! Jeg er en fisk" blev årets mest sete film |url=https://www.berlingske.dk/kultur/hjaelp-jeg-er-en-fisk-blev-aarets-mest-sete-film |access-date=2025-02-01 |website=Berlingske |language=da |df=dmy-all}}</ref> The film grossed $5.6 million in Denmark against an approximate $18 million budget and became a [[box-office bomb]].<ref name="gross">{{cite web |title=Help! I'm a Fish (2003) |url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=main&id=helpimafish.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151017075859/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=main&id=helpimafish.htm |archive-date=2015-10-17 |access-date=2015-04-30 |website=[[Box Office Mojo]] |df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref name="budget">{{Cite book |last=Bendazzi |first=Giannalberto |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dZvhCgAAQBAJ&dq=jungledyret+hugo+3+budget&pg=PA130 |title=Animation: A World History: Volume III: Contemporary Times |date=6 November 2015 |publisher=[[CRC Press]] |isbn=978-1-317-51988-1 |language=en |access-date=19 April 2020}}</ref><ref name=":0" />

The film was deemed to have been more successful at the box office in [[Germany]], [[France]], and [[FranceFinland]], where audiences are even more suspicious of non-US animations.<ref name=":2" />

The UK release of the film opened to a mediocre £81,908 within 157 cinemas.<ref name=":1" />

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==Legacy==

A television series adaption was announced by [[Egmont Group|Egmont Imagination]] in May 2001,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Teninge |first=Annick |date=25 May 2001 |title=Help! I'm a Fish TV Series In Development |url=https://www.awn.com/news/help-im-fish-tv-series-development |access-date=2025-03-16 |website=[[Animation World Network]] |language=en}}</ref> and would consist of twenty-six episodes. Further development has not been stated to take place, and the series was never made.<ref name=":2" />

The film's stars [[Aaron Paul]] and [[Alan Rickman]] would later co-star again in the 2015 film ''[[Eye in the Sky (2015 film)|Eye in the Sky]]'', released shortly after Rickman's death. Paul expressed his regret that despite working with Rickman on ''Help! I'm a Fish'' and ''Eye in the Sky'', they never got the chance to meet.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/apr/10/aaron-paul-eye-in-the-sky-breaking-bad | work = The Guardian | title = Aaron Paul: 'It's impossible not to throw our own emotions into the mix' | date = 10 April 2016 | access-date = 1 October 2017 | url-status = live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171001212850/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/apr/10/aaron-paul-eye-in-the-sky-breaking-bad | archive-date = 1 October 2017 }}</ref>